Manchester United's secret to success
I'm about to write something that may sound far-fetched, but it does genuinely have a point. When Manchester United football manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, recently retired as the most succesful football manager in history, David James (ex-England goalkeeper) wrote a tribute from which I learnt several lessons. Here is an extract from his Guardian article:
If there is a code of silence, Ferguson's players are bound to it. Despite being friends with Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney, among others, I have never – ever – heard them say anything about Ferguson. All those hours of sitting around at England camps or on bus rides, and not once did any United players ever reveal anything to me about their team-mates, their dressing room or their manager. In an industry renowned for its gossip I find that extraordinary.
On one occasion I remember sitting with Phil Neville for a chinwag and, like a typical footballer, ranting about a team-mate of mine who I found annoying at the time. When I'd finished I expected Phil to reciprocate. But there was not a word. "What an absolute *****!" I thought, red-faced after pouring my heart out only for him to remain tight-lipped. But later I concluded that his approach was an exemplary – and clever – way to carry yourself through a career in football.
All the United players were the same, no one would ever say a bad thing about their team-mates. Even when the media reported chaos in the United dressing room – from the infamous pizza throwing to Becks' cut above the eye after Ferguson kicked a boot at him – there were no comments from the United boys. There were plenty of questions, of course. But their answers were only ever vague, or meaningless. (David James, ex-England goalkeeper, writing in the Guardian, 2013)
Clearly, David James felt a key ingredient in the Manchester United team's success was their unity and loyalty. There certainly must have been some personality clashes within the group and human mistakes, but they never aired their dirty laundry in public. This reminded me of the following passage of the Quran:
O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion, for suspicion in some cases is a sin: and spy not on each other nor speak ill of each other behind their backs. (Quran 49:12-13)
Abdullah ibn Saba and the fall of Khilafat-e-Rashda
In the comments beneath a recent article someone brought up the story of Abdullah ibn Saba. It is also something we can learn from so let me share his biography with you, taken from an article on alislam.org, about the period during the rule of Hadhrat Uthman - the third rightly guided Khalifa after Muhammad s.a.w:
Sinners hypocritically conspire against the rightly guided Khilafat
The conditions in Medina were fairly satisfactory. A large body. of the Prophet’s companions was still there. But the shape of things in other territories was different. A party of young men had taken to dacoity in Kufa. They slew one Ali ibn-al-Haimiyan. His neighbors captured them. Abdu Sharih, a companion and his son saw the incident. They testified. Under Uthman’s orders, the dacoits were slain by Walid bin Uqba, the Governor. Some culprits belonged to good families, a clear indication that the incident was more than a case of simple dacoity. It was aimed to create panic. This was the violent way to power.
In Egypt a new convert was very active. He is known as Ibnul Suda and also as Abdullah bin Saba. He was a very cool and clever man. Posing as an enthusiast, he made a study tour of the entire land. He was gifted with great knowledge of men. Also, he knew the art of polished speech. He established contacts everywhere. He chose the men he wanted. He looked mainly for ex-convicts and their close relatives. This soft-spoken ex-Jew visited Basrah. There he made friends with Ibn Jabla, a dacoit. He was under house arrest. Ibn Saba stayed as his guest. There he collected a group of persons who were angry with the government.
Hypocrites accuse the Khalifa of appointing inappropriate office bearers
In the beginning, he would not speak plainly. In fact, he posed as a devout follower of the faith. But gradually he injected poison in the minds of men. Ibn Saba next shifted to Kufa. This city had a strong element of undesirables. They did not like their good governor Walid bin Uqba. His hand weighed hard on evil-doers. He had only recently slain a number of killers. Their relations hated him bitterly. They wanted to. avenge on him. They hit upon a plan one day. They quietly removed the ring of Uqba from his finger while he was asleep. Then they set out to Medina. There they accused Walid of drinking. Walid was dismissed. The Khalif appointed Said bin Aas as governor. He reported to the Khalif the conditions in the city. The undesirables had made life hard for respectable people. Uthman ordered that their ringleaders should be deported to Syria.
Hypocrites accuse the government of financial irregularity
Ibn Saba now moved to Syria. There he started a new line. He met some old companions of the Prophet. He pleaded with them that the treasury money was the property of Muslims. But, he pointed out, Muawiya called it Allah’s property so that he could exclude the other Muslims from it. Abu Zar Ghafari, a simple and sincere wealth-hater agreed with him. But Abu Darda and Ibada bin Samit disapproved of his talk. He found the place too hot for him and returned to Egypt. There he found many willing workers. Egypt was far away from Medina. It had not caught yet the spirit of Islam. Here he made a different appeal. He preached the view that Khilafat was solely the right of Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet. Ibn Saba’s device to run down governors met only a partial success. It encouraged powerful elements in different centers. He gradually succeeded in linking these centers of discontent. Soon the trouble became statewide.
Hypocrites publish rebellious propoganda
Ibn Saba now gave his comrades a new idea. A new attack was launched against governors. Letters against one governor were sent to the people of the other province. This went on for some time. People in every province began to believe that their brethren in the other province were suffering great hardships. Such letters were also addressed to people in Medina. There was grave anxiety among the Companions of the Prophet. The Khalif sent deputies to investigate. Ammar bin Yasir was an honest but simple man. He was given a great welcome by Ibn Saba’s party. They were very sweet of tongue with him. Ammar was deceived. He readily believed all they said against Ibn Abi Sarah, the governor. Ammar bin Yasir personally disliked the man.
Uthman addressed a letter to the Muslim public. He said: "My relatives have no better right than other Muslims. I learn from some people of Medina that officers abuse and beat the public. I declare by means of this letter that anyone who has been privately abused and beaten should meet me on the occasion of Hajj at Mecca. He should take his revenge there from me and my officers or forgive." This letter created a big stir in the country. Muslims were deeply moved.
Uthman next called his governors to Medina. He wanted to know if the complaints were really untrue. They assured him that there was no truth in the reports. He then asked their views. They proposed that he should crush the bad elements with an iron hand. Uthman said: “Troubles will raise their head. The Prophet said so. It is with mildness and love that they can be delayed.” He said that he would give them no good cause and deal by the trouble-makers gently.
True Muslims demand obedience and loyalty to Khilafat
In the meantime some trouble took place in Kufa. Malik bin Ushtar suddenly returned to the city. He said he had come from Medina. He claimed to have met Said bin alAas, the governor, on the way. He incited the people against him, alleging that Said bin alAas had threatened to insult the women of Kufa on resumption of the office of governor. The masses went wild with anger. They did not want Said back, they thundered. Crowds rushed out to tell Said off. Deputy governor Amr bin al-Jarid tried to calm them down. He made an appeal for patience. Qaqa bin Amr told him that fools would not listen to words. What they needed was the sword. “And that day is not distant when the sword will be on them. They will then bleat like goats and long for the return of these days. But God will not restore this blessing ever.” When Said bin al-Aas came, the crowd that had turned out to hoot him down, told him to get off. Abu Musa al-Ashari, the new governor, in his inaugural address to the citizens of Kufa, said, “O ye people, never in future turn up with such demands. Remain within the ranks and obey and be patient, and take no hasty steps. You have a leader among you.” Then they asked him to lead the prayer. He refused. He said he would not until they respected the orders of the Khalif. He warned them against disunity. He said when Muslims were under an Imam (leader), none should create division among them. If anybody made the attempt, he should be slain. That was the Prophet’s command, he said.
Hypocrites scheme against Khilafat
There was peace in Kufa now. But troublemakers were busy. They decided to form a body of men drawn from all provinces. They were to wait on the Khalif and accuse him of certain faults. They would publicly say everywhere that the Khalif had been proved guilty. They accordingly set out. When they were near Medina, Uthman sent two agents to find out their intentions. They reported back that the trouble-makers would first accuse the Khalif, next they would return and tell the people they had proved his guilt, face to. face. They would finally set out for Hajj but would, instead, enter Medina, hold Uthman prisoner. He would then either have to resign or die. When the Khalif heard this, he laughed and prayed to God to lead them aright. The agents also reported that only three men of Medina were with them.
Hypocrites make falsely accuse Khalifa of allegations including changing the shariah
Uthman then summoned to his presence the entire group of trouble-makers. He also invited the Companions of the Prophet. When all were assembled, he told them the whole story. The two agents confirmed the details. The Companions demanded with one voice death penalty for the evil doers. Uthman did not agree. He said, he was for granting the mischief-makers full pardon. He would only counsel them and meet all their objections. He would take no action against them, unless they broke the law. Next, he took up their accusations. one by one. He said that one related to his prayer at Mina. He had not shortened it to half as he should have done in accordance with the practice of the Prophet and the injunction of the Quran. He said he owned property at the place and was obligated to offer full prayers there. The other charge related to the public pasture land. He said, it was not of his making. The pasture land was already there and it was of no personal benefit to him. He had only two camels which did not graze there, though, before he became Khalif, he had the biggest herd in the whole of Arabia. He next took up the charge that he gave offices to young men. He reminded them that the Prophet had done the same. He was only following his worthy example. Another charge related to generous gifts to his relations. Uthman said that he gave away freely of his own wealth and that he had every right to do so. The Companions fully agreed with him on every point.
The evil-mongers were silenced. But they were not happy at heart. They turned up again at the gates of Medina. One group came from Basrah, another from Kufa and a third from Egypt. Abdullah bin Saba was with them. He had come out in the open now. The intentions of these people were now clear. But they learnt that Medina was prepared to fight them. Both inside the town and outside armed pickets were on duty. The evil-doers decided to come into open clash at once. So they camped outside, at Zulkhashab and Zulmarvah. Next they decided to feel the pulse of Medina. They sent their emissaries to meet Ali, Talha and Zobair. When they met Ali, he was commanding a force outside Medina. They told him that they wanted to remove Uthman and that if they succeeded would he agree to become the next Khalif? Ali said: “May God disgrace you! Go back. I have heard the blessed Prophet of Allah curse the campers of Zulkhashab and Zulmarvah.” They promised to go back. Next they saw Zobair and Talha. Their answers were the same as that of Ali.
Hypocrites falsely accuse the Khalifa of ordering harsh punishments
Not many days after, the rebels suddenly re-entered Medina. The rebels said they had got proof that Uthman had played foul with them. They said they had caught a man with an official letter to the governor of Egypt, ordering him to punish the rebel leaders, to slay some, to flog some and to shave the beards of some. The letter, they said, bore the seal of the Khalif. When Ali heard this he said that the story had been clearly made up in Medina. “How did ye, O people of Kufa and Basrah know that Egyptians had got hold of such a letter? You were so far away from one another, going in different directions. And how is it that you are back so soon?” The same questions were put by Muhammad bin Muslim. The rebels had no explanation to give. Their only answer was that Uthman should resign.
The rebels next approached Uthman. They told him the same story. He said there was no such letter. He further said that a letter could be forged and a seal could also be made. They were required to produce witnesses. They had none. Uthman went to the extent of repeating his denial on oath. To the Companions it was clear that the rebels were bent on mischief. One party of Egyptians asked for Ali’s help in removing Uthman. Ali refused to be a party to any of their schemes.
Uthman confirms the true status of Khilafat
The rebels next decided to hold Uthman a prisoner in his own house. Uthman sent Abdullah bin Abbas to Mecca, as leader of the Hajj. He gave him a letter which was to be read out to Muslims gathered in the holy place. It said. “I invite you to Allah and remind you of His gifts. Some people are making trouble at present. They want to divide Muslims into parties. But they have never given any thought to the matter that Allah Himself appoints His khalifs. Allah says, ‘Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will certainly make them Khalifs in the earth.’ Further, they have not valued unity; while Allah has commanded, ‘Hold fast to the rope of Allah together.’ They believed in the reports of my accusers, and ignored the commandments of the Quran. ‘O ye who believe, if an evil-doer brings you a report, then make sure about its veracity.’ And they cared little for the pact they had made with me. But Allah says to the Holy Prophet, ‘Verily, those who made pact with thee, they make pact with God.’ I am the deputy of the Holy Prophet and no people can progress without a leader.” When the letter was read in Mecca, there was great anger’ among the Muslims assembled there.
Hypocrites martyr the Khalifa
A bitter fight began outside the gate of Uthman's house. The rebels stealthily entered the house by jumping over a neighbor’s wall. They found the Khalif reading the Holy Quran but proceeded to murder him anyway.
The aftermath of these events eventually resulted in the end of the rightly guided guided Khilafat in Islam. Ali r.a. followed Uthman r.a. as the new Khalifa, however the hypocrites had succeeded in causing civil war to break out. The Muslims were divided into four or five different groups and this led to sectarianism, civil war and the murder of Ali and his two sons Hasan and Husain. These are events from which the ummah has not recovered from even now. To this day sectarianism continues between the same groups and they have not seen a true spiritual khilafat until that of khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya, which they do not accept.
Remarkable similarities between hypocrites of Khilafat-e-Rashida's era and Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya's era
1- The hypocrites were originally those people and families who were Muslims but had been punished by the Khalifa for their sins. This is echoed today by hypocrites within Ahmadiyya. They claim their objectives are religious, but in reality it is due to their irreligious natures that they have personally been punished by the jamaat and their egos have led them to respond with rebellion.
2- They hypocrites used the exact same complaint in the time of Uthman's Khilafat as is being used today against Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya, by falsely accusing the khalifa of appointing inappropriate office bearers.
3- They hypocrites of Uthman's time also used the allegation the Khalifa was inappropriately spending Islamic funds, in the same way hypocrites today allege Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya inappropriately uses Jamaat funds, God forbid.
4- They hypocrites used the same methods in Uthman's time as are used today. In his time they would meet in secret and not come out openly. Today the same is done by hypocrites of Ahmadiyya. Further, they would publish public letters making false allegations. Today they publish online blogs doing the same.
5- The hypocrites of Uthman's era accused him of changing the shariah (religious law) of Muhammad s.a.w. The same allegation is repeated today against Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya.
6- The hypocrites accused Uthman of ordering overly harsh punishments against sinners. The same allegation is made against Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya today.
We can look back on history and see the results of allowing the hypocrites to succeed. The ummah is suffering to this day from the loss of khilafat and the loss of unity. Let us examine some recent examples.
Muslim disunity's modern effects: Palestine
During world war one, the Turkish empire was fighting against the British. Part of the empire included Arabia. In Arabia, the British approached the Saudi/Wahhabi family and made them their paid agents. With the financial and military support of the British, the Arabs of this family were able to instigate a rebellion against their Muslim brothers. The weakening of the Turks allowed the British to capitalise. They defeated them and took control of lands such as Palestine, which they later handed over to the Jews, creating Israel.
Muslim disunity's modern effects: Iraq
Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan actively joined in the recent western invasions of Iraq. These have resulted in the deaths of more than 100,000 Muslim civilians, men women and children. While there, the USA set up Shia terrorist organisations to kill their Sunni counterparts. The Muslims were perfectly happy to begin a sectarian war which is currently ongoing. The war on Iraq has allowed the country's oil wealth to be stolen by foreign powers.
Muslim disunity's modern effects: Syria
In the last two years 70,000 Syrians (mainly Muslims) have been killed in a sectarian war between the Sunni and Alawite (esoteric Shias) sects.
Muslim disunity's modern effects: Yemen
Hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of civilians including women and children are being killed in USA drone strikes against Yemen. They are only capable of conducting these strikes due to Saudi Arabia allowing them to build bases on their territory.
Muslim disunity's modern effects: Pakistan
In the last ten years, 30,000 Muslims have been killed in Pakistan in terrorist attacks by other 'Muslims'. Shias are a particular target, having been declared to be 'kafirs' by militant Sunni groups.
Muslims around the world continue to suffer due to our own disunity and foolishness in accepting the false propoganda of hypocrites. Ahmadi Muslims should ensure we do not fall into this trap by praying for the safeguarding of Khilafat and avoiding the traps of the hypocrites.
The Batman
